Losses
by Sargerogue
Summary: The Barnes Family suffers a loss. Sequel to "Your Sister's Waiting"


AN: Obviously I don't own this, Marvel does.

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If there was one thing that his sister excelled at doing, it was keeping Bucky busy. Ever since he moved in with Becca, he had been constantly busy with one project or another. It was nice to have a place to belong again. Becca didn't ask much of him. She talked with him about his nightmares in the morning but wisely kept away when he experienced them. They kept him hidden from Steve the first three times the blond had visited with Natasha, his now girlfriend much to the amusement of Becca. It was during the last visit that Bucky came out from his bedroom with no shirt on and wearing slacks to see Steve. Natasha had stiffened but the laughter bubbling from Becca had told her everything was fine. After that, Natasha had worked with one Matt Murdock on clearing Bucky's name.

"Becca, who is this?" Bucky asked one night handing her one of the many pictures from around the house. Becca took the picture in her hand and smiled sadly at the smiling face in the image. If it wasn't for the difference in hair color and cut, the man in the picture was a carbon copy a young Bucky.

"My son by Proctor," she replied a bit sad. "He was a good boy. Called him James Steven after you and the punk. He died back in the late sixties. He was engaged to be married when he died. Died serving his country in the Vietnam. He was a lot like you, personality, voice."

"What became of his fiancée?

"She mourned and turned that anger into her drive." Becca stood up with some effort and went over to the bookshelf. She puled out a collection of images and flipped to the images she wanted. Bucky leaned over her shoulder to stare.

"Miss Harbor?" he whispered.

"Lizzie. She was in her thirties then and working for SHIELD. We had a holiday party one year when James Steven was oh, about twenty. They hit it off. Even though they never married, she's stayed around. She took care of me as the kids got older and had families of their own. She never let herself get attached to another man after that."

"That's why she was so gruff with me. I remind her of him."

"Oh yes. Also, you shot her when she was spying inside the KGB in the 70s."

"Why is it I keep meeting the women I shot and that survived?"

"Destiny, love." She gave him a pat on the cheek and went back to her book.

Three weeks later, Bucky woke up to an off feeling in the house. He got up and pushed open his sister's cracked door. She laid there, peaceful and serene, and cold as stone. He sat with her in his arms for hours until his brain could process what to do next. He called Steve. Then he called Lizzie and left a voice mail. By the time he was done with that, the next oldest child was pulling up out front with Steve following moments later with the jet. Steve had called in the rest of the family.

Becca died on Monday and the funeral was scheduled for Friday. The little home had become overrun with Becca's children, all of whom had been introduced to Uncle Bucky before Becca's death. Harriet, the oldest of the children, stayed with Bucky and Steve in the house during the week and made sure the pair ate. Her partner Janice took care of arranging the funeral for them. All Bucky had to do was keep his head low and mourn. He felt like doing nothing else.

Friday brought rain.

They started the morning with the will reading. Bucky got the house and the property along with a considerable fund that his sister had created shortly after the dump of SHIELD files. The children and grandchildren got the rest of the funds and two other properties that Becca owned. Now, now they had to go to the funeral.

Steve and Natasha stood at Bucky's side at the funeral. Tony had shown up with Pepper, evidently remembering his Aunt Becca and joking about how Uncle Gabe always swore she'd take her sweet time meeting her in the great beyond. He then got in a short argument with Tommy, one of the other children, over the events of the 1982 Christmas Dinner with the Howling Commandos. Harriet broke them up by swearing that Becca would rise from the grave just to hit the two unruly youngsters over the head.

When it came time for the first of the dirt to be tossed onto the casket, Bucky let the others go first. He then stripped of his jacket and shirt despite the chill and grabbed a shovel. Becca had wanted to be buried by hand and she would be buried by hand. Steve did the same and gave both his and Bucky's shirt and coat to Natasha. The children and grandchildren watched at Becca's brothers buried her inch by inch next to Gabe. There was something about watching Captain Steve Grant Rogers and Sargent James "Bucky" Buchanan Barnes bury the old woman that inspired others to step forward.

Tony pulled a shovel from somewhere (decorated in red and gold of course) and fell into line behind Steve. Tommy gave his coat to his wife and fell into line next to Tony, using one of the worker's helmets to fill the grave with his contribution. One of the great-grandchildren darted between the working man and bent over and dug into the dirt pile, shoving the dirt back despite the amount of dirt that hit her dress in the process. Bucky smiled at the action of his family member even as her mother huffed and complained about dirt stains.

"Mind giving me a turn soldier?" a voice asked behind him. He turned to see a face he hadn't all week. Her eye was bruised and there was a fresh cut on her face. "Least I can do for showing up late."

Bucky handed Lizzie the shovel and watched her shovel in the pile. Steve traded off with one of the grandchildren. Tony handed his shovel to another of Peggy's children. Tommy gave the helmet to one of the great-grandchildren before picking up his granddaughter who was covered in dirt for helping to fill in the hole. Tony, ever the engineer and perfectionist, worked with Steve to level off the dirt in the end.

"So, meal at the church," Tony huffed as he took his shirt and coat back from Pepper. "Time to reminisce about Bec. I got a couple of good ones to tell you Cap. Like the time she kicked my old man in the family jewels."

"Ooh! That was after the hippy incident wasn't it?" Tommy piped up.

"Hippy incident?" Pepper asked incredulously.

"Tell you all at the hall." The group moved off toward the cars. Soon only two people were left at the grave. Bucky slipped his shirt and jacket on, the rain having cleaned the sweat off his warm body. Next to him, Lizzie stood in just the tank top that had been hidden under her leather jacket. She had the jacket over her arm and was digging around for something. She pulled out a cigarillo and lit the end. She then passed the lighter and a pack of smokes over to Bucky. He took one and lit it before handing them back to her. The pockets he had were all for show and wouldn't fit anything.

"I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner," she said between puffs. "I was on communication silence."

"Still working for SHIELD?" he asked.

"No, freelance for the most part. When I'm not doing that, I'm the receptionist at Start Tower."

"You're kidding," he snorted.

"Nope, I just change my appearance a bit. Tony would have a fit if he saw Miss Lizbeth his old nanny working as his receptionist. Though he did notice today. Guess that gig is up," she muttered. She took another drag, smoothing the edge of the grave with her foot which Bucky just noticed were bare. Her feet were red and cut. He glanced at her again and took in her appearance for the first time today. She had cut arms, some bruised and angry red. Her hair was cut at an odd angle with one cut on her cheek matching the angle. Her clothes looked wrong for her size and also like they had been stolen.

"What type of job were you working?"

"Infiltration," she replied. "There were some rogue geneticists causing problems from the Russians and Americans. Didn't work out cleanly."

"Becca told me you're a mind healer."

"Among other things. Did you know if your brain is enhanced to a certain level, you can manipulate things on a molecular level?" He turned and watched as her cuts scabbed over and disappeared entirely. She looked weaker after doing that so Bucky steadied her with a hand. "Still need someone to fix your head?"

"I'm better. So is that manipulation how you stay so young?"

"The body wants to stay young. Even if I consciously try to age my body so I can die like others, it won't let me. If I had known that would be a side effect I would have told Howard to shove it up his ass."

"So you can't die?"

"Only if someone puts on in my head and it better be a high caliber too or if someone removes my head. Mind over matter shit."

"I know the feeling." He looked at his cigarette, already half way done with it. "I'm sorry I make you uncomfortable."

"She told you then."

"I asked."

"You were bound to find out eventually. That stepping out line, he used one on me," she remembered fondly. "I miss him."

"I would expect." They stood there quiet for a few more minutes. "Want to step out? I have this nice little cottage. We could have a fire light dinner and listen to oldies."

"Thought you'd never ask." She put the cigarillo out and turned to him. "We better get to the hall before they send a search party out for us." He reached out and tugged her close. He removed the cigarette from his lips and kissed her, long and slow She gripped his shirt and leaned into it. When they pulled apart, he smiled.

"Pretty dame like you should know what you're getting into with me. The Barnes family has some shitty luck."

"You're not telling me anything I don't know." She pecked him on the cheek and took his hand. "Hey Bec, looks like you were right."

"What was she right about?" Bucky asked curiously as they walked away.

"If you fall for one James Barnes, you're doomed to fall for the other," Lizzie replied with a mischievous grin. They walked for a moment before he stopped, pulling her to face him.

"Wait, when did she tell you that?"

"Twenty minutes before I picked you up in Brooklyn."


End file.
